A Ferntree Gully man has been charged following a fatal hit-and-run collision in Mooroolbark on Friday 5 December that claimed the life of a Lilydale man.
The 39-year-old driver self-presented to a police station on Saturday morning and was subsequently charged with failing to stop and failing to render assistance after the fatal incident on Manchester Road. He has been bailed to appear before the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court on 29 March 2026.
The incident occurred just before 2am on Friday 5 December, when emergency services were called to Manchester Road after an unconscious man was found lying on the roadway near Mooroolbark College.
The victim, a 28-year-old Lilydale man, was treated by paramedics but tragically died at the scene.
Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives believe the man was struck by a white SUV, which then fled the area, travelling south along Manchester Road. The vehicle, later identified as a white Nissan Dualis SUV, was located by investigators shortly after the driver presented himself to police.
ABC News and Nine News reported that the deceased man had been walking erratically along the road and may have been lying down at the time of the impact.
Police also told media outlets that the man had earlier discharged himself from hospital and was believed to have been with another person shortly before the collision. CCTV footage from the Mooroolbark Police Station helped investigators track the white SUV entering the five-ways roundabout and heading towards Hull or Lincoln Roads.
Manchester Road was closed for several hours outside Mooroolbark College as police processed the scene.
